May makes light of keynote speech cough with medicine-themed tweet

In 2005, Conservative Party members chose Mr Cameron over David Davis, while in 2003 Iain Duncan Smith was ousted as leader after the chairman of the 1922 Committee received 25 letters from Tory MPs. She said the government wants Brexit negotiations to succeed, but is also preparing for a scenario in which they could fail.

He said May's bungled election, her failure to unite the cabinet and a poor party conference are the main reasons that up to 30 Conservative lawmakers backed the bid to tell May to go.

She began by apologising for sparking the costly June election which cost her party its majority in parliament, almost handing over power to Labor under Jeremy Corbyn.

According to party rules, 15 percent of MPs - in this case 48 MPs - need to back a no confidence vote against the leader to trigger a leadership contest.

Delivered on the final day of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, May's speech was meant to reassert her authority and mark a fresh start for her party following an underwhelming election result in June's snap election.

First, she was handed a P45 form by the comedian Simon Brodkin - who plays a character called Lee Nelson - and told it was from Boris Johnson, the Foreign Secretary.

May's speech was meant to rally her party behind her after a disappointing general election sheared its numbers in Parliament.

"What the country needs is calm leadership, and that's what I am providing with the full support of my Cabinet", May declared Friday.

After her cough-packed prankster-stricken, set-crumbling Conservative conference keynote address, you might think there's little to link Theresa May and The West Wing's President Bartlet. "[Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson] told me to hand her a P45", the prankster said afterward. In a morning radio interview Gove said: "No one is burying their heads in the sand".

The Prime Minister's famous red ministerial box is also visible in the picture, which had been retweeted more than 500 times within 10 minutes of being posted.

Theresa May's longevity as prime minister has been much debated since she failed to win a majority for the Conservative Party in the June election, but her "car crash" speech this week at the party conference has renewed speculation at a crucial time of Brexit-related talks. We can do that, and we will under her leadership.

Even those unhappy with May would be operating on the basis that she is their least worst option and the likes of Johnson would only serve to hasten the Conservative's departure from government.